oggiesnr

Ah, Wolfstone, classic band I have a cheap bowl back that I bought at a trade fair a couple of years back (the exhibiters were selling off al their stock as they didn't plan on shipping it back to China). It's OK and I use it as my camping/festival guitar where I don't want to risk my decent acoustic. Steve

[size=4][font=lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif]I've seen a half size (hell of a lot of volume for size) and I believe they come smaller. I know that Peter Hall in Beverley purchased all a music centre's basses when it closed and may have some or know where to get them (he was the source of the half size I saw). Contactable on Beverley (01482) 888654 (or mobile 07901 591965) [/font][/size] Steve

When it works like that it's great isn't it? All these people who would run a mile at the thought of "Morris Dancing" actually watching and enjoying it. At a recent Freaks danceout we ended up at the same pub as the local football team and persuaded some of them to have a go. Steve

My problem with thumb position is that I use the side of my thumb for my job so it's always a bit on the tender side and I can't apply pressure without pain. My bass tutor and I are trying to evolve a hybrid position using less of the side. Steve PS I have both of the Tarlton books and they are superb

Thanks, I'll check it out. Steve

The Antoni is exactly 6 inches. Steve

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1350331734' post='1837512'] Just heard it now. [i]Best thing they've done for years[/i]. Very similar to something off exile? [/quote] Doesn't set the bar very high does it? Steve

At least it's properly aged and not by some wassock in a "custom" shop. Steve

I also think that "ear memory" is important. On every other instrument I play the note is a given, I press that button or fret and I know I get X. I actually don't have to listen that hard to the pitch of the note, the dynamics etc yes but not the pitch. On the DB I have to listen to the actual pitch in detail. I know that my hand has a tendancy to drop (gravity rules) so it's not just muscle memory I need it's ear memory. When I play scales and arpeggios against the tuner I'm also listening to the pitch and noting any correction I have to make so, hopefully, I'll not only gain the macro muscle memory of where my next note/shift is in relation to where I should be but also the micro muscle memory for the correction I need to make. In many respects I'm finding that developing that ear is the hardest part of learning double bass. Steve

Using the same logic of "never play for free cos the landlord is making money and should pay you" we should never attend an open mike or a jam session without demanding payment as the main reason they run is to make money by (hopefully) drawing a crowd who put money in the till. In my day job I'm continually up against hobby woodworkers who only charge for materials and a bit of pin money and so can easily undercut me. It's the way it works, I can't change it so I just have to be better, do something that's a bit different, make myself standout. I suspect that the same may be the case in music. Steve

Tis better to play for free than to pay to play Steve

I use the gstring app on my android phone set on autotune. What I tend to do is reference the note at the end of a phrase, if gravity has taken over and my hand has dropped then I'll repeat that phrase as often as needed until I'm happy that it's correct. When practicing scales I'll play them through slowly first checking each note and only then go on different bowings and tempos. Steve

Spent Saturday playing double bass for the whirlwind of morris mayhem which is Freaks in the Peaks. Four times a year an assortment of around sixty dancers and musicians descend on a Derbyshire village for the weekend, Saturday morning is a practice so we know what dances we're doing and then we dance out round the local pubs in the afternoon. This weekend was at Youlgrave and great fun it was too. The "band" varies as people drop in or out or have a dance but usually there's at least several squeezeboxes, couple of fiddles, couple of random instruments and some drums at any one time plus, this time, me on bass. Had problems hearing myself a couple of times (no amps allowed) but the dancers reckoned they could hear it OK so can't have been bad Next meet is January at Hathersage, here's hoping fo good weather. Steve

So I've spent today at the Freaks in the Peaks scratch border morris event and great fun it was. However at one point the musician quotiant got quite high, 3 accordions, 5 melodeons, 4 fiddles, couple of guitars/banjoes and 3 percussion, and whilst people assured me they could hear the bass I couldn't! Now public amplification is a no no and as yet I do not have a pickup on the bass but I was wondering about a pickup, small battery amp and an earpiece. Ideally the pickup would be one that I could later use for amplified gigs. Anyone got any suggestions? Steve PS the no public amplifier constraint is for two reasons, one is that there are public performance licence issues and the second is the nature of morris events, you don't stay in one place but tend to move around (half a mile between venues is possible) and I have to carry the stuff!

THere's some great music here and the interviews are equally interesting [url="http://www.ibragimov.co.uk/page-sets/video.html"]http://www.ibragimov.co.uk/page-sets/video.html[/url] Steve

[quote name='FLoydElgar' timestamp='1349247841' post='1823710'] Its a Baroque bow that stays within the correct time period of this piece! [/quote] Thanks, how do they differ from modern bows? Steve

Is it just me or is the second bassist (Rinat Ibragimov) using a german bow with a sort of French grip? Whatever, the results are absolutely stunning. Currently planning to go and see him and his daughter (a violinist) at Wimbledon in a few weeks time. Steve

[quote name='philparker' timestamp='1348687634' post='1817003'] I've just watched wallbassist' review of the BSX Allegro on YouTube and that's definitely the sort of instrument I hoped to get should I choose an EUB, but at the moment, I'm favouring the Double Bass! Thanks for the tip regarding the robustness of the plywood bass - it's a good point! [/quote] In all fairness a BSX is getting up at the higher end EUBs at £2000+ which would buy a better than plywood DB. I have to admt than when I think of an EUB I tend to think of not more than £1000 (but then I'm a cheapskate ) Steve

[quote name='Fat Bob' timestamp='1348526458' post='1814935'] It's a small point but....VAT is 20% which the dealer pays to HMRC...therefore whatever you see in store or on a website means that the dealer/trader is actually selling for 20% less than that....OK, so we've established that principal..... [/quote] Nope this is the fatal flaw in your argument, what the dealer gets is irrelevant to the price the punter paid in the first place. If I pay £1200 for a bass it matters not what the breakdown of who gets the money is, I've still laid £1200. That is my investment in the bass. If I choose to sell it for £1000 a few months later, again it don't matter what the split on my £1200 was, I'm still £200 out of pocket. As far as invoicing private individuals is concerned, there is no requirement to separate out VAT unless that individual is VAT registered, the amount is over a set limit (used to be £50) and is going to claim it as input Tax (ie offset it against their VAT bill). Some companies separate it out automatically on the till receipt because they deal with a mix of customers (B&Q or a petrol station for example) but if you buy from many shops all you'll get is a generic reciept showing the total, that doesn't mean that VAT hasn't been paid, it's just that the vendor hasn't shown the split. VAT is also a pain in the ass if you make stuff, eg you turn wood into something valuable, and sell it direct to the public because you end up owing a large percentage of your turnover to HMRC as you don't have large inputs to offset your liability, your input is your skill and labour which has no monetary value for VAT purposes. At one point I was paying over 10% NET to the taxman and that was when VAT was 15%. That was in addition to income tax etc etc. Steve Edited for typos

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1348668738' post='1816698'] You are moving into the area of being a complete musician and not just a bass players, Steve. Writing (and reading) music brings massive insights into the bigger picture and makes you a better player. Glad to see it's working for you. [/quote] Thanks for the encouragement. Steve

My bass originally had a cello spike which is a good bit longer (the previous owner must be a good six foot six). I suppose the alternative would be to play sitting down on a high stool. Steve

Good luck and have fun. Steve

Whilst merrily cutting names on my saw on Sunday I had a freak accident which resulted in driving part of a broken fretsaw blade into the flesh of the top joint of my second finger where it only stopped on impact with the bone. Whilst there's no long term damage it does mean that applying pressure with that finger is out of the question which sort of limits double bass playing. As a result I've dug out my copy of Neil Tarlton'sBeginning Scales on the Double Bass where, most helpfully, he has a whole page of exercises based round B Harmonic Minor so open strings, first and fourth fingers only. Nine different ways of bowing the scale so crotchets, quavers and triplets on every part of the bow plus another page of exercises using different dynamics. Should keep me out of mischief whilst this heals and means that I will have to concentrate on bow work without being distracted. It's only a short book (really a coda to his Sevcik book) but well worth looking at if, like me, you're near the start of your DB career. Steve

[quote name='FLoydElgar' timestamp='1348511464' post='1814610'] Ask your tutor about the Sevcik book and Neil Tarlton, the genius himself!! its a book of small ££££ but probably the most valuable bowing book out there! I spend months working on one exercise as there are about 150 variations to 1 exercise - that really haves you using all of the areas on the bow! I'm a bass geek so.. yeah... I get a kick out of it lol.. [/quote] +1 on the Sevcik even though it makes my brain hurt! Tarlton's scales book is also well worth the money. Steve

I originally thought that I'd learn a bit of bowing to help with intonation etc but since then it's taken on a life of it's own so I'm doing mainly arco in my lessons but at the same time the technique that I'm learning is passing on to the rest of my playing. It's horses for courses but don't dismiss it. BTW my morris team loves it when I bow, gives a totally different feel and sound to the music. Steve